Bianchi Concrete Inc.

Great! Mr. Bianchi was quick to return my initial phone call. He showed up the next day on time. We discussed the job. He and his crew showed up the following day on time and did the job as discussed and cleaned up afterwards. Easy to work with and punctual. I didn't see that with some of his competitors.

Saturday, January 19, 2019 – Estimate and Verbal Agreement: 1. John Bianchi and one of his workers came to look over the project and give me an estimate. John measured the area, said he would pour 4 inches of concrete over existing cracked concrete. When I questioned if covering existing concrete could be done, he said the existing concrete was done settling and pouring new concrete over it would be fine. He would use a concrete mixture with fiberglass, which is stronger. 2. They would dig drainage areas on the sides of the carport to make sure the rainwater from the gutter down spouts would flow away from the carport. 3. Would use a concrete pump truck to pour the concrete because of the paver driveway. 4. After concrete is poured they would return and clean up all splatter. 5. Price quoted by John: $6,500.00 (If I agreed he would need $2,500 down payment with check made out to him, and the balance when project was completed.) 6. I cut a check for $2,500. Thursday, January 24 – Begin framing and concrete removal for Friday pour. John notified me that he couldn’t get the concrete delivery until 1:00 pm on Friday, so he moved the pour to Monday. Monday, January 28 – Concrete Pour The cement truck showed up (not a pumper) and drove over my fairly new paver driveway. John didn’t order enough therefore he had to order another yard of concrete. The second truck showed up and once again, drove on top of my paver driveway. While concrete was still wet, John had his worker insert a template with his business information into my concrete without telling me, or getting my approval. John requested final payment of $5,000. I replied that the balance was $4,000, not $5,000. John said I misunderstood, I disagreed and he said I was wrong. Therefore I destroyed the $4,000 and wrote out a new check for $5,000 though I knew he was wrong. I had no written contract from him until I paid him the balance, then he wrote out a contract. Tuesday, January 29 – John and his two workers returned to insert stress lines in concrete. Then left without talking with me. I looked over the project and was very disappointed. The house siding, two kayaks, shed siding, and pavers were all splattered with concrete. He never worked on the drainage issue as he was contracted to do. The stress lines they put into the concrete were very disappointing. Once the concrete dried it was very messy looking, had shoe prints from him and his workers, as well as scrapes from tools. The concrete itself has dark areas. Three weeks after the concrete pour, the new concrete is cracking. I gave John a call and expressed how disappointed I was in the final product. He has not returned my call.

The whole episode started by John Bianchi Jr. producing an incomplete County building permit stating "that is all we need". Permit WAS NOT a legitimate permit for the proposed work. After the work was completed (during much conflict and unpleasant, UNTRUTHFUL dialogue), I found out I was in trouble with the county code enforcement department for the work having been completed WITHOUT a legitimate permit.  This ultimately cost me over $100. in additional expense with the county. Citrus county helped me through this mess forgiving the fact the MANDATORY inspections weren't made pursuant to a valid permit.  Citrus County Permitting went above and beyond what they were obliged to do. They could've hung me out to dry after Bianchi's actions, but instead were amicably helpful in circumventing Bianchi's deception and dishonesty.  I would guess they favored giving me a break instead of a code violation and fine. (It is the responsibility of the land owner to assure all county construction rules are met.) The actual size of the slab was 19'11" X 29'10", the contract called for a 20' X 30" slab. I DID NOT get that for which I paid! The carport contracted for installation will NOT fit properly!  This will be an unresolved future problem, to be addressed at a later date.

John Bianchi, during the project, at the end of the first day, needed an advance to pay his workers who were apparently waiting for back pay to be completed. This was necessary to assure their return the next day, as his payroll apparently wasn't being made. He also needed me to furnish fuel for his equipment, as he hadn't brought any gasoline with him. I furnished the necessary gasoline as a favor. I also provided a light lunch on the 'work day' for him and his crew.  His crew were very polite and in complete contrast to John Bianchi's persona.  In addition to all this, Gulf Coast Concrete demanded a check from ME, "or the driver couldn't leave". Bianchi had no capability of trust with Gulf Coast Concrete. I refused, and Gulf Coast gave up and left.  In a subsequent conversation with Gulf Coast Concrete I was told John M, Bianchi was on a strict COD basis, owing to past financial problems with him.

I was absent at the time the forms and ground had been prepared. My wife called me in severe distress as Bianchi was preparing to pour the concrete over ground vegetation which he had promised both of us to remove. (and as the COUNTY MANDATED) A violent argument arose over Bianchi's unfulfilled promise to NOT pour over vegetation. He became very aggressive, and angry, severely upsetting my wife in a manner I haven't seen in our 50 plus years of marriage.

John Bianchi Jr. has a beautiful web site which he claims as his work. The entire web site and the illustrated work are the result of his father, John Bianchi Sr.   John Bianchi Jr. is pictured on the first page of the site. His father, John Sr. is and has been retired for some years. The hundreds of jobs pictured for which John Jr. claims to be HIS WORK, are in fact that of his retired father's past construction.  John Jr. merely took over the web site. This was a primary reason I chose him to do the job. Little did I realize this was part and parcel to the overall untruthful subterfuge permeating all of my interaction with John Bianchi Jr.'s action and words. As an unrelated side note, it puzzles me as to why John Bianchi Sr. allows his good name and performance record to be pulled through the mud by his son.

To recap: Contractor totally untruthful and deceptive, the slab was not the contracted size, (was undersize) and was poured over vegetative material contrary to my contract and Citrus County's regulations. No valid Building Permit was generated as promised AND STATED! These were the legal ramifications of John Bianchi Jr.'s violations. Aside from blatant legal issues, his volatile, angry, hostile, argumentative attitude served an unbelievable (but quasi-legal) disconcerting addition. 

The "revised" construction permit number from Citrus County issued 9-10-2015 is #2015-08484 for which I paid an additional $128.60.